The Mistakes He Made
by BellatrixBlack1997
Summary: What if Greyback was at the Battle at the Department of Mysteries and fell onto the table that had the continuously hatching bird? What if he was brought back to being twelve years old? How does Remus react? And what if Greyback's past shows him in a new light?
1. The Battle

The Mistakes He Made

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter. Any characters or plot that you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling since she has not let me buy it from her. (Sigh)

A/N: So, basically this is a story about what if during the Battle in the Department of Mysteries, Fenrir Greyback was there and he got caught in the Time-Turner thing (You know, the one that gave the one Death Eater a baby head?) and was turned back into being a twelve year old boy. How does Remus react? What will happen when Greyback is taken to Grimmauld Place?

Chapter 1: The Battle

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny ran through one door while Neville and Luna went through another. The Battle had barely begun but already they were separated. They stopped to rest. Harry looked around. It seemed as though they were back in the Time-Turner room. Still, in the middle of the room was the bird that kept rehatching only to rot away and then begin again. "I suppose we should make our way out of here." Hermione said briskly. "Those locking charms won't hold for long." Just then the door they were facing burst open and the four held their wands ready though they were relieved to see that it was only Order members, come to help fight off the Death Eaters. Harry recognized Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Tonks, and to his great displeasure, Sirius. "Sirius!" Hermione astounded. "Really, now this is just reckless-"

"Don't be so much like Molly." Sirius interrupted. "I came to help. I won't let my godson fight this war without me."

"I tried to stop him, I really did." Lupin apologized.

"Sorry, Moony, but nothing could keep me away. I'm done being on the sidelines." And that's when the locking charm Hermione had cast on the door broke. In burst Greyback, followed by two Death Eaters. The Order members, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny fired off curses at them and before they knew it the two Death Eaters were stunned on the ground. Greyback seemed to be trying to make his way through the crowd by force. He grasped Ginny by the shoulders and roughly threw her into the wall. Ron's face grew as red as his hair with fury as he and Harry began trying to curse Greyback with even more vigor. Greyback pushed Ron aside and he fell by his sister. But eventually he pulled out his wand to make the job easier. And with a flick of his wrist, Kingsley was down. Then Tonks. And Harry heard a gasp to his right as Hermione was disarmed. Then his own wand flew out of his hand. Greyback pointed Harry's wand at Hermione and said passionately,

"Crucio!" Hermione writhed on the ground, screaming. "Ah, little Mudblood! It's been so long since I've used an Unforgivable. Thank you for reminding me how much fun it is!" Harry couldn't take it anymore. Not caring if he had a wand or not, he lunged at Greyback. "Stupefy." Greyback said lazily and Harry fell to the ground, letting unconsciousness take him...

Remus watched in horror as Hermione was tortured and then Harry stunned. He, Sirius, and Moody, as if on cue, threw Stunning spells at Greyback. They hit all at the same point in his chest. He stumbled to his knees, causing Hermione's screams to be cut short. Remus hit him once more and he fell over the table with the bird still going through its transformation of life. Remus looked on in shock and wonder as Greyback began to age. His long hair whitened and his skin wrinkled. His beard grew long. And then he began to decay until he was nothing but dust. Remus turned to Sirius's awe stricken face.

"Is he...dead?" Sirius asked.

"No." Moody growled just in time for Remus to turn and see the dust turn into a baby. And the baby slowly grew into a young boy. Moody was the first to awaken from the trance. He grabbed Greyback, who was still unconcious, by the shoulders and put him on the floor. But as Remus stared at him he realized he was no longer Greyback, at least, the one he knew. Laying on the floor before him was a boy who couldn't be more than twelve. His black hair was no longer streaked with gray though it was still very long, reaching nearly to his shoulders. The clothes he wore before were exceptionally baggy on his now-small form. He was missing many scars on his olive skin however the three marks on his face were there and even more prominent than before.

"Wow." Sirius said, at a loss for words. "He's just a... kid. Probably only in his first or second year at Hogwarts." Remus nodded numbly. When he was only four years old, this man had broken into his bedroom and changed his life forever. Except he was no longer a man. He was a boy.

"Well, best to get him somewhere to contain him. Just in case his memories are still intact." Moody said, hoisting the boy over his shoulder.

"Wait." Sirius said. "Shouldn't we turn him back to contain him?" Moody shook his head, his magical eye swirling.

"No, I see no point in bringing him back to his strongest. Better to have him managable." Remus didn't know what to think. The man he had grown to hate over the years for what he had done to him, was now only a kid. And he may not even remember all the horrible things he had done. Moody handed the boy off to Sirius who nearly dropped him in shock. "I'll collect the others, make sure they're taken care of." Moody said. "You two take him to Headquarters. And remember, constant vigilance." Sirius and Remus nodded before leaving their wands ready in case. Remus glanced back at the boy in Sirius's arms. What would they do when he woke up? Would he remember everything he had done? He wanted to hate him. But he couldn't hate a child. He just didn't know what to do...

A/N: Hope you liked this more than I did! I just didn't know how to write Remus. Hopefully it will pick up soon and the chapters will be you and don't forget to review! Constructive criticism is welcome as this is my first fanfic! -BellatrixBlack1997


	2. Grimmauld Place

Chapter 2: Grimmauld Place

Disclaimer: Same as before. I'm fact, consider the first disclaimer for all of the following chapters.

A/N: This one's also kind of short. I'm hoping to get to the good stuff in the next one. I don't know if updates will be this close together in the future, I just want to get this story more stable. Thanks for reading!

Remus stared down at the boy in the bed. They were in one of the spare bedrooms in Grimmauld Place. The boy was still unconcious. Remus had took to thinking of him as simply the boy since he could no longer really call him Greyback, they seemed like two different people. But were they? When he did wake up, would he remember his life after being twelve? He punched the bridge of his nose, a habit he had to help him think. Sirius came in with a cup of tea which Remus greatly appreciated. "So." Sirius said.

"So."

"So, what are we gonna do when he wakes up?"

Remus sighed. "I have no idea." Just then there was a bang of Walburga Black's shrieks coming from downstairs. Sirius threw his hands up in exasperation while Remus set down his tea and the two sprinted down the stairs and shut Mrs. Black's curtains. They both turned to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway. Behind him were Moody and Snape.

"Where is young Fenrir?" Dumbledore asked softly. It sounded so foreign and strange to Remus to talk about this man as if he were a child. Then again, he had to remind himself that he was.

"U-upstairs." Sirius stuttered, clearly also taken aback by the casual use of Greyback's first name. Then Sirius's gaze hardened. "What is Snivellus doing here?" he sneered.

"I, Black, am here because I, unlike you, am a useful member of the Order." Snape glared and Sirius glared back. Moody broke the tension.

"Well, come on then, we musn't leave him alone. Constant vigilance!" Everyone trapped up to the room in which the boy was staying in. Dumbledore walked calmly to the bed.

"Shame." He said after a while. "What he became, I mean. He was such a bright boy." Remus and Sirius glanced at each other, astonished.

"You knew him?" Remus choked out in surprise.

"Of course. He was one of my best students." Moody cleared his throat.

"Lupin," he started. "Is there any way that you can tell if he has lycanthropy?" Remus had never even thought of the idea of Greyback not being a werewolf. He nodded and stepped a bit closer to the bed. He was never very good with his acute sense of smell but he closed his eyes and focused. And sighed. He could detect a faint trace of wolf lingering around him.

"Yes." Remus said. "Yes, he has it."

"I see." Snape said. "I suppose I should then start brewing some more Wolfsbane for the upcoming full moon."

Dumbledore agreed and as they began walking out, he said, "Remus, I think it best of you and Sirius watch over him. Owl when he wakes up and tell us whether or not he remembers his future self. And you may want to contact Mr. Lyall Lupin." Remus stopped in his tracks.

"My father?" He gasped. Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, he would have the most experience with a werewolf child." And with that, the trio were gone, leaving Remus and Sirius standing alone in Grimmauld Place.

"Your father?" Sirius's eyebrows quirked. Sirius had only met his father once and it was very briefly on Platform 9 and 3/4. Remus remembered the day vividly. It was Christmas break of second year when he had been forced to make hasty introductions of his friends to his parents. He then later had to admit on the car ride home that they knew about his condition. Remus knew that his father had been worried about his son's friends perhaps reporting him but it never did happen. Still, Remus's friends had always been a sore topic between them for years to come. It had been months since Remus had been spoken to his father now anyhow, certainly not since moving to Grimmauld Place. And he wasn't exactly sure how his father would react to young Greyback but then again, he did miss him. And so that was what drove him to owl Lyall Lupin with an urgent message to come immediately to Grimmauld Place, London.

It was mid afternoon when Lyall got the letter. He was astounded to hear from his son and even more to hear of the predicament they had gotten into. A young Greyback? The thought both intrigued and terrified him. Lyall of course went straight away to the street of Grimmauld Place in London to help, all the while think back to the fateful words he had said in the Ministry that had caused Greyback inflict so much on his son, his boy, his poor Remus who had nothing to do with those words. Souless, evil, deserving nothing but death. That is what he had called Greyback, called all werewolves causing his immediate excision from that trial. Would Greyback remember what he had said to him? Of all the times Lyall wished he could have taken those words back, he wished it especially now. He wanted to get there as quickly as possible so he Apparated despite the ache he now felt in his bones every time he did it, he was reaching a very old age. When he reached the street, he saw Remus waiting for him nervously. He stood between houses 11 and 13. Odd that there was no 12. Lyall jogged to meet his son, ignoring the creaking in his legs. "Which house?" Lyall wheezed. After hugging his son, of course it had been months. In answer, Remus handed a piece of parchment to Lyall to read. Curiously, he looked down. I'm swooping handwriting that could be easily recognized as Dumbledore's, it said,

The address to the Order of the Phoenix is 12 Grimmauld Place.

After Lyall read it he looked skeptively. But that look soon turned to surprise aww as he saw a house appear between 11 and 13. 12 Grimmauld Place. Remus took the parchment from Lyall and used his wand to burst it into flames. Then they quietly entered the house. "Don't wake Walburga." Remus warned.

"Who's Walbur-" was as much as Lyall got out before tripping over an umbrella stand and causing a painting of an ugly woman on the wall begin shrieking incessantly about 'filthy half-breeds' in the 'home of her fathers'. A man with long raven hair tore down the stairs, swearing loudly before forcing the curtains shut. He then turned to see Lyall.

"Sorry about my mother." The man said. "Hello, Mr. Lupin. Perhaps you remember me? I'm Sirius Black." Sirius had certainly changed much from the obviously arrogant second year in the platform during Christmas. Though Azkaban had definitely taken its toll, he had grown very handsome as he came into his manhood. Suddenly, a muttering voice came down the steps. It turned out to be a house elf. "Oh and here is the blood traitor with his blood traitor friends and whatever would Kreacher's mistress say?"

"Kreacher!" Sirius was quite suddenly stern with the house elf. Kreacher however bowed so low that his nose brushed the floor.

"Aaaahh, Master Sirius!"

"What do you want?"

"Kreacher just thought that Master should know that the half-breed is waking up."

A/N: So this chapter didn't go how I thought it would but I liked how it turned out. The next one should come soon since I'm super excited for it. Please don't forget to review!


	3. Awakening

A/N: Yay, another chapter! My longest one yet, I think!

Chapter 3: Awakening

Fenrir's eyes fluttered open. The last thing he remembered, he had been closing his eyes to the emerald green curtains in his dorm room in the dungeons. And now, he was staring up at a white ceiling with a black chandelier hanging from it. He sat up and pressed the palm of his hand to his head to soothe the impending headache building there. He smelled mildew and something musty. There were lots of other smells too but he couldn't decipher them all. He had now been a werewolf for two weeks. Two weeks and still the overwhelming senses seemed too much for him. Annie said he would get used to it. Fenrir slowly sat up, rubbing his side where the bite still stung slightly. Where was he? Sunlight streamed through the window from behind the billowing curtain. The door handle was shaped like a serpent and there was a green and silver rug in the middle of the room with a Slytherin S in its center. This was definitely a Dark Wizards house. The question was who's. How could someone have taken him from his dorm room and away from Hogwarts to this strange house? Just then pounding footsteps trotted up the stairs and burst into the bedroom. Fenrir thought that his head would split in two. There were three men. Two of them looked related, they both had the same puzzled expression and the same hazel eyes. They smelled similar too. The only difference really was that the younger of the two had hair that was really more light brown than grey. The third man had longer raven colored hair and dancing grey eyes. However his face was twisted into a more concerned frown. There was something familiar about the first two men but Fenrir couldn't place them. The third man began to speak.

"Um-" he began.

"Where am I?" Fenrir interrupted.

"What do you remember?" The younger of the first two asked. Fenrir thought for a moment. He remembered leaving the library with Annie and missing dinner much to his displeasure. Then he had gone to the common room and finished his Transfiguration homework before going to bed. Nothing unusual had really happened that day. So why had he woken up here? Fenrir didn't like to seem weak, but he couldn't keep the break from his voice when he asked,

"Where's Annie? I want her." He saw the men exchange glances and heard one of them whisper though he heard it plain as day,

"I don't think he remembers..."

"What don't I remember? Where's Annie?" Fenrir could now feel tears pricing at his eyes. What if something had happened to her? The younger man looked concerned.

"Don't worry, let me explain-" he started but Fenrir cut him off.

"No! I want her, I want Annie, now!" He realized he was crying but didn't really care. The men looked alarmed. They started to back out of the room and all the while Fenrir screamed and screamed for Annie, because Annie could make everything better...

Remus, Lyall, and Sirius shut the door in panic. Greyback could still be heard screaming on the other side.

"Either he's faking it or he doesn't remember." Sirius said.

"I don't think he's faking it," Remus said. "He seems pretty torn up."

"Constant vigilance." Sirius reminded him. "That's what Moody would say." Lyall kept glancing anxiously at the door. Those cries, they were the cries of a little boy. Because that was all Greyback was now. A child. But still, he was cautious. This was the man who had managed to deceive the entire court in the Ministry. He had convinced them all that he was simply a Muggle bum and nothing more. Lyall, though, had seen behind the act for what Greyback truly was- a monster. And he didn't know it then but it wasn't the lycanthropy that made him so. Was Greyback acting now? Trying to make them believe that he couldn't remember anything, perhaps hoping they'd take pity on him?

"There's always Veritaserum." Remus interrupted Lyall's thoughts.

"I suppose it's worth a try." Lyall responded. Sirius however groaned.

"This means we'll be seeing more of Snivellus, doesn't it?"

"Severus, Sirius, and yes, he would be the best to brew it." Remus gave his friend a stern look at Severus's nickname. "I'll owl right away." And with that, Remus left to the bedroom he had been staying in to write the letter. Sirius started down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Lyall asked.

"To have a large Firewhiskey."

Snape showed up only a few hours later with a vile of Veritaserum. Remus had already decided that Greyback didn't remember anything and so this test he organized was mostly for the benefit of his father and his friend whom he knew both found it hard to trust the person who had ruined his life. The four cautiously entered Greyback's room. The boy had screamed himself to sleep though there were tear-tracks down his cheeks. He was curled into a ball, his knees pressed into his chest. He still wore the clothes of his future self, and they hung from his body like blankets. Remus could not possibly link this little boy to the treacherous Fenrir Greyback. Snape stepped towards the bed and uncorked the vile. Everyone stepped closer, eager to see what would happen. Without a moment's hesitation, Snape lifted the boy into a sitting position. His eyes snapped open but before he could protest, Snape had emptied the contents of the vile into Greyback's mouth. The boy went slack. Remus cleared his throat. They had decided earlier that he would ask the questions. "Um- do you remember being at the Ministry?" Greyback's eyes were glazed over and when he spoke it sounded mechanical.

"No."

"Do you remember anything past being twelve?"

"No." Lyall intervened.

"Do you remember biting my son?" He asked, his voice venomous.

"Dad-" Remus started.

"No, Remus." Remus closed his mouth. Even after all these years, his father's scolds were still more powerful than the silencing charm. Greyback paused a long moment before answering the question.

"No." He said finally.

"He took too long!" Lyall seethed. "How do we know this potion really is working?"

"I have another vile." Snape said. "We could test it on someone else. Black may perhaps be willing?"

"Over my dead body!" Sirius argued.

"That could be arranged." Snape answered calmly.

"See Moony?" Sirius turned onto Remus. "Threats! I knew he was still a Death Eater!"

"I'll test it." Remus said. "If only it will stop your bickering." Remus tilted his head back as Snape poured the substance into his opened mouth. At once he felt his body slacken and someone cursed as they struggled to support him. Someone asked him a question.

"What is your full name?" The person asked.

"Remus John Lupin." Remus murmered.

"What is your Patronus?" Another voice asked.

"A wolf." Remus answered.

"What is your boggart?" A third voice whispered.

"The moon when it's full." Remus responded. And then another liquid was poured down his throat and he slowly stood upright again as the antidote took effect. "It works then." Remus said, a little embarrassed to have admitted his worst fear in front of Snape and Sirius.

"Yes, it does." Snape said, grasping a second antidote to give Greyback. Lyall was not satisfied.

"But he hesitated! When I asked Greyback that last question, he hesitated!"

"Perhaps a small part of him almost remembers the incident." Snape answered, including the vile and giving it to the boy. "But we shouldn't talk about that now." And the boy came to with a gasp he sat up fully and coughed a little. He looked up to the four staring curiously at him. Remus of course had suspected all along that he remembered nothing but having it confirmed was different. It was, after all, much easier to hate Greyback than to try and understand him. The boy rubbed at his eyes. Then he said one word with such defiance and power that it took everyone aback.

"Annie." Remus was the first to recover.

"Right, this Annie. You wanted her earlier, you said?" The boy nodded vigorously.

"Could you tell us who this Annie is?" Sirius tried.

"My friend." He said simply.

"Could you tell us more than that?" Remus could hear Sirius losing his patience.

"She's a year ahead of me." Greyback supplied. "Annie Richards." Lyall took an intake of breath.

"Annabeth Richards?" He asked, astonished.

"You know her?" Remus asked. Lyall nodded.

"I worked with her."

A/N: Reviews make me happy and when I'm happy I update more. (Warning: May be a bribe!) I hope you enjoyed this major cliff hangar and please please please review!


	4. Annabeth Richards

A/N: A special shout out to Malia101 for being my first reviewer! Thank you for reading and anyone else reading this can thank Malia101 for the very soon update. Also, a warning: there will be minor swearing in this chapter.

Chapter 4: Annabeth Richards

After much discussion, Snape, Remus, Lyall, and Sirius decided to contact this "Annie". They had agreed that it would be crucial to know just how close Annabeth Richards was to the Dark Arts. You could never be too careful in times like these, especially if Annabeth still worked in the Ministry. The plan was simple. Remus and Snape would stay at Grimmauld Place with Greyback while Lyall would go to the Ministry and politely ask for information on Miss Richards. Lyall was very respected in the Ministry even though he was now retired, as he had done great research on boggarts for the Department of Magical Creatures. Sirius had elected to come with him. After the mayhem that went on in the Department of Mysteries, it was revealed to the Wizarding World of his innocence. And now that Sirius was no longer a convict, he was very eager to get out of Grimmauld Place. He knew that everyone was letting him go with a bit of reluctance however. Even Snape seemed concerned though it was more than likely that he was just upset with seeing him leave his prison. Remus had warned him not to do anything rash. Still chuckling to himself about how motherly Remus had been, Sirius had Apparated with Lyall to the red telephone booth. They scrunched in together and Lyall punched in the code. The cool voiced lady asked their names and business at the Ministry. Soon later they arrived in the Ministry's lobby with nametags reading Lyall Lupin and Sirius Black to 'speak with Annabeth Richards'. Sirius enjoyed walking through the Ministry much more now that he wasn't frantically racing through it to the Department of Mysteries, trying to save Harry. But their battle had indeed taken toll. The once towering statue in the middle of the room was thoroughly destroyed and there were still quite a bit of cracks in the walls and ceiling and floor. The two made their way to a man at a desk. They had their wands logged and checked before entering the lift. They were then taken down to the Department of Magical Creatures. Stepping out, many of the people they passed, Sirius noticed, looked at him with an air of suspiciousness. It was clear that many people hadn't believed that he wasn't a supporter of the Dark Arts. But many other people would nod and smile in Lyall's direction and some would even stop to shake hands. One stuttering intern had stopped them and idolized over Lyall for the next ten minutes. "Oh, Mr. Lupin, I loved your work on boggarts, absolutely loved it, you're such an inspiration..." And then finally Sirius intervened.

"We really do have somewhere to be." He said. The intern stared at him with fearful eyes.

"Sirius Black!" He squeaked and ran off. Sirius sighed. He had been getting that reaction a lot lately and was really rather tired of it. Finally, the two reached the Head of the Department's office.

"I wonder if my old superior works here." Lyall mused as Sirius poised to knock. "He was a very horrible boss you know- Hello, Mr. Johnson!" Sirius tried to hide his smirk as he could only assume that this was the boss Lyall had not been fond of. The man had thick white hair and Brady hawk eyes.

"Lupin?" He said. "I thought you retired."

"I did." Lyall said and he seemed rather nervous now. "I was actually here to inquire information about an old colleague of mine. Miss Annabeth Richards, perhaps you remember her?" 'Johnson' scoffed.

"Remember her? Of course I remember her, how could you not? What with all that talk she did on rights for half-breeds, then there was that book she wrote about the 'true souls' of Dementors. All nonsense, if you ask me. Anyways, she's not here anymore. I fired her sometime ago. Crossed the line too many times, too many absences for my liking. No, we replaced her with someone much more capable, have you heard of Dolores Umbridge...?"

"I wouldn't exactly call that toad capable of much of anything." Sirius muttered. 'Johnson' swiveled his head around towards him.

"Sirius Black?" He said, eyebrows raised but still an evident smirk on his face. "And what would you know on the matter?" But before Sirius could retaliate, Lyall interrupted.

"Well, do you know where we could find her?" 'Johnson' glared.

"I don't disclose the personal information of my employees, former of not."

"Could you make an exception?"

"I don't recall making an exception for the Minister after your son's-" he stopped himself and took a deep breath before continuing. "-unfortunate accident." He said finally. Lyall nodded.

"And I thank you for it, but this is really important-"

"I don't bloody care how important it is, I don't give a damn if the whole bloody world would end if I don't tell you, the fact is that I don't disclose personal information-" Sirius had had enough. He whipped out his wand and muttered "stupefy" under his breath then watched 'Johnson' fall to the ground. Lyall gave him a mortified expression that reminded him very much like Remus when he and James would prank a teacher at Hogwarts.

"Don't worry, he's only stunned." Sirius said, stepping around the Head of the Department and making his way to the filing cabinet in the far side of the office. Lyall visibly relaxed but only barely. Sirius began pulling open drawers. Finally, he found one that had a very detailed folder assortment of what looked like every staff member in the Department of Magical Creatures to ever work under this man's eye. It was alphabetized by last name. Sirius quickly flipped to the r's and found towards the front, a tattered folder that said, "Annabeth Richards." Sirius pulled it out and was surprised to see that instead of a detailed description and moving picture about her like the others had had for themselves, there was only a simple couple sentence explanation of what she did for the Ministry, an observation about her absences, a small address, and at the bottom the simple word, "Fired." Sirius though paid his attention to the address. It looked to be an apartment building in Muggle London. Lyall and Sirius briskly left the Ministry before anyone could figure out what had happened to the Head of the Department and then as soon as they were outside, Apparated to the correct building. It did not seem to be in a very good part of town. Lyall and Sirius looked at each other and shrugged before entering the building and buzzing in to her room. A sharp female voice had answered, "It's open." And so they climbed the stairs to her room. They knocked on the door, aware of the paint peeling off of it and the musty, cigarette smell coming from the entire floor. A woman answered. She had what looked to have once been a dark red hair color though it was now heavily streaked with grey. She was tall and carried herself with an air of haughtiness, something that reminded Sirius of his cousin, Narcissa, but her eyes showed more weariness than arrogance. Though she obviously did not trust them. "What do you want?" She asked, one hand on the door the other on her hip.

"You are Annabeth Richards?" Lyall asked hesitantly.

"That's right." Annabeth replied. Lyall smiled.

"I'm Lyall Lupin, do you remember me?" Annenberg looked him up and down.

"Yes. Fourth year. Hogsmeade weekend. You took me to the Three Broomsticks but made me buy my own butterbeer. I had a schoolgirl crush on you for the longest time, you know." Lyall tilted his head.

"Well, I vaguely remember that, though I was thinking more along the lines of work."

"Oh, yes, work." Annabeth nodded. "You were the werewolf hater in the trial concerning the murdered Muggle girls, yes?" Lyall looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Yes..." He replied slowly. "Though my views have definitely changed over the years." He was sweating now. Sirius decided to make things quick.

"We're here concerning Fenrir Greyback." He said. "Do you know him well?" Her green eyes widened and she looked at them. And looked at them. And slammed the door in their faces.

A/N: I hoped you liked it! Remember the thing I said before about reviews=happiness=updates? The rule still applies. Thanks for reading! :)


	5. A Reunion and a Dream

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, followers, and favorites, you make me happy. Here's another chapter. And so soon, I'm on a role! By the way, I don't have the heart to change the entire story rating for one chapter so just imagine that this chapter alone is rated T. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: A Reunion and a Dream

"Damn!" Sirius yelled at the closed door.

"Sirius." Lyall said more calmly. Sirius though threw his hands up in the air.

"Well, this is great. This is just great!" He started pounding on the door. "I did not bloody come to bloody Muggle London for that answer! Open this damn d-" The door opened a crack and Sirius stopped, taken aback. It seemed that Annabeth had been crying.

"I don't know Fenrir Greyback, I have never known him and the only time I met the man was at that trial with you, Lupin. So don't accuse me of being involved with so treacherous a man like Greyback! And leave this building, I don't wish to speak with wizards again for the rest if my life!" She made an act to slam the door again but Sirius grasped her forearm and kept his foot in the doorframe. "Let go of me!" She shrieked.

"Let us explain!" He shouted back.

"Keep your voice down." Lyall hissed. He began glancing nervously about at the other rooms. Annabeth stopped struggling and so Sirius gently released her, though he did not remove his foot. Annabeth took a breath.

"I left the wizarding world to be away from the war and the suspicions and the distrust of it all. There you get judged by what blood you have, people wonder if maybe you're under the Imperius Curse, or perhaps you're a Death Eater just waiting for an opportunity to use Avada Kedavra." She stopped and took another breath. Her hands sweeping her eyes, brushing away the forming tears. "I am not a Death Eater." She said.

"We believe you." Lyall answered, staring back with as much force as she gave them. "But, listen. We know that you knew Greyback well at school and we need to know exactly how close you were." Annabeth's gaze hardened but she didn't close the door this time.

"Yes. It's true." She admitted. "I was friends with the most dangerous werewolf in our world, I will tell you that. But I have not spoken a word to him since I was sixteen and most certainly did not follow him on the Dark path that he chose. Now, if you would kindly leave me in peace, I would be most delighted to enjoy my old age."

"There was an accident at the Ministry." Lyall said quickly. "In the Department of Mysteries, with the Time Turners. Fenrir Greyback is now twelve. And he doesn't remember anything past that." Annabeth stopped.

"You lie." She said quietly.

"It's the truth." Sirius said. "Come with us and see for yourself. He's been asking for you. He yelled Annie first thing when he woke." Annabeth smiled a faraway smile.

"No one's called me Annie in years." She said. Her smile suddenly turned grim but determined. "Take me to him."

Fenrir looked at the two small girls in the growing darkness. They looked to be only nine or ten. One looked terrified. She was practically trembling out of her skin. The other though seemed only curious. "Are you well, sir?" She asked, concerned. "You look ill."

"I think he's homeless, Judy." The scared girl whispered. "My mum always told me not to talk to bums. Besides, it's getting late." The girl called Judy hushed her friend.

"Don't call him a bum, that's rude." She scolded. Judy turned back to him. "Are you homeless?" She asked a little more timid than before. Fenrir shook his head. Judy relaxed. "Well, who are you then?" And then the sun set. And the moon rose. And Fenrir felt unimaginable pain...

Fenrir woke up gasping. It was strange. The dream had seemed so real. And so familiar. Like he had lived it before. It was really more like a memory than a dream. Fenrir shivered, though the room wasn't cold. Suddenly, he smelled wildflowers, new books, and saltwater. He smiled. It was a scent so peaceful, so safe, so comforting, so... Annie. He thought the name a second before she came into the room. Except it wasn't her as he remembered. She was no longer the small, thirteen year old Ravenclaw who was almost certainly to be found in the library. Her dark red hair was so grey, that the parts that weren't looked more brown. Her face had many worry lines and her skin was baggy, hanging off her bony figure. But she still had the same green eyes that would soften every time she looked at him. They were sad looking right now. "Oh, Fenrir..." She said, trailing off.

"You...you're so...old..." Fenrir said, instantly regretting however, remembering Annie's sharp tongue. She laughed however and shook her head.

"Fifty-three years is a long time, Fen." Her laugh sounded like bells. Fenrir tilted his head.

"Fifty-three years?" He asked. And then the full force of what she said hit him. "Fifty-three years?!"

"Calm down." The younger man from before had come in as well as the raven haired man and the older familiar man. The younger man stepped towards him. His eyes were kind but weary. He smelled familiar as well. "My name is Remus Lupin." The younger man said. "This is going to take some explaining."

Fenrir scarcely dared to believe what they had told him. He had learned the names of the men: Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Lyall Lupin. He remembered Lyall as the quiet Gryffindor in third year who Annie thought was "so cute". They told him that there was an accident in the Ministry. That the Time Turners there had changed him back into a twelve year old. It was curious, he thought. And it was sad to see Annie as an old lady, though she did look relatively good for her age. After the explanation, the three men left back down the stairs while Annie sat on the bed next to him and they recounted old times, which weren't really old for him but he could see that she was reminiscing so let that fact go. And they talked and laughed until the sun went down and darkness fell outside and he slowly fell asleep.

Remus looked up as Annabeth entered the kitchen. She was smiling. "He's sleeping." She said. She sat down beside Sirius at the table. "And so young." She said. "When was he ever that young?"

"Perhaps you've just gotten old, Miss Richards." Sirius smirked. "Or do you prefer Annie?" Annabeth scoffed.

"Annabeth please." She said. "I've always hated Annie."

"The boy calls you Annie." Lyall observed.

"Fenrir does as he pleases, always has." Annie answered in return. "You seem to have history with him. Did he do something to you?" Remus cleared his throat, clenching his fists. He didn't want to scare Annabeth but thought it best to tell her exactly what company she was keeping.

"He bit me." He said gruffly.

"Oh." Annabeth said. She put a comforting hand over his own. Remus looked into her eyes. "You realize you're holding the hand of a werewolf?" He laughed bitterly. But he stopped when he saw tears in her eyes.

"So are you." She said softly.

"Wait a moment." Sirius said. "You...you're a..."

"Werewolf." She answered him simply. "Do not be afraid of the word, I've long ago accepted it." She sounded braver than him, Remus realized. That word still sent shivers up his spine. Annabeth patted his hand gently. "I am sorry. Truly."

"It's not your fault." Remus said. "He did it, not you." Annabeth shook her head.

"But I was the one who bit him." The three all stared at her, mouths agape.

"Wait...what?" Sirius asked. Annabeth nodded.

"Yes. It was an accident, but it was me. So it is my fault in a way. He doesn't know that yet though, not at twelve. We best keep it to ourselves."

Judy's face twisted in horror as she and her friend watched Fenrir change shape until he was no longer human. The friend screamed. Judy screamed too and tried to run. Fenrir lunged. He had them both between his class in a matter of seconds. And he continued to rip even after they were still, after they didn't make another sound. He didn't stop until there was nothing left of them, nothing but the blood that saturated his claws and fur. Fenrir woke up screaming this time, then later crying. Annie came rushing in, the men behind her. They stopped at the door, but Annie grasped him tightly and wrapped her arms around him. She rocked him back and forth and whispered over and over again how he was okay, how he was safe, burying her face into his hair. It was more of a motherly comfort now but Fenrir welcomed it. Though he couldn't stop seeing those girls. And he could still feel blood on his hands. It felt like more than a dream. It felt real.

A/N: I know, dark stuff. I hope you enjoyed it and please don't forget to review!


	6. Questions and Secrets

A/N: Sorry for the delay everyone! I hate giving excuses. But...I HAD MAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK! One excuse off my chest. Anyways, enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter 6: Questions and Secrets

Annabeth sighed and stretched in her tiny bed at her flat only to find that the bed was much bigger and that also there was someone else lying in it. She gasped and sat up. It only took a moment for her to remember yesterday's events. She smiled at Fenrir, sleeping next to her. With some embarrassment she remembered how she was convinced he was her true love as a child. But now all love she felt for the boy was purely maternal. It was sad to think how one year apart had made them friends instead of something closer. And now fifty-four years apart somehow made her seem like his grandmother! She gently stroked his long bangs out of his face as he slept, frowning at the scars on his cheek. So this was after Orion and Cygnus. Meeting Sirius, she had immediately remembered the taunting smirk of Orion Black and the mirthless grey eyes of Orion's brother, Cygnus. But Sirius was not in anyway evil like his father and uncle. Merlin, he wasn't even in Slytherin! So she had decided to trust Sirius, but made sure to be on her guard lest he inherited any trait from his father besides his looks. Fenrir suddenly jolted awake and grasped her wrist from his head before looking over and relaxing. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and rested his hands on his knees. "Some nightmare last night, huh?" Annabeth said to him. He nodded but his eyes looked faraway.

"Yeah," he said unsurely. "A nightmare."

"Was it something else?" She asked him. She had known Fenrir long enough to tell when he was lying or at least if he wasn't sure if what he was saying was true. Fenrir looked at her skeptically.

"It just seemed so real." He said quietly.

"Dreams can do that." Annabeth nodded. "If your imagination is strong enough." Fenrir smiled up at her.

"When did you get so wise?" He asked.

"I'm a Ravenclaw, I've always been wise."

"That and you're old." Sirius said as he entered the bedroom. Annabeth gave her famous scolding look that she had usually reserved for Fenrir.

"Enough cracks about my age." She snapped. "I'm young at heart." Sirius looked Fenrir up and down.

"Why were you screaming last night?" He asked. Annabeth could see that Sirius did not ask it as though he were concerned for him but rather that he was suspicious. She knew now that it was because of what Fenrir had did to his friend. But she didn't like the way she was looking at him. She realized that she never liked it when people threatened Fenrir.

"I had a nightmare." He mumbled. Sirius scoffed.

"Screams like bloody Voldemort came bursting through here and it was just a little bad dream." He folded his arms. Annabeth didn't like the way Sirius was treating him but she didn't want to yell in front of the boy who still seemed very fragile to her, like a baby bird.

"Do you want breakfast, Fen?" She asked, interrupting what would no doubt have been a cruel retaliation from him. He stopped.

"I guess." He said quietly.

"The kitchen's downstairs then." She said. He scrambled out of bed and walked quickly out of the room. She wondered for a moment when was the last time he had eaten. Then she turned onto Sirius.

"Don't you dare." She said. "Don't even try to say those things to him. You have no idea what it must be like for him to be here!" Sirius threw his hands up in the air.

"Oh yeah, sure, feel sorry for him, right! It must be so hard to wake up screaming from nightmares! I've heard Remus scream during the full moon and guess what? Your little school friend did that to him! So I don't bloody care if he wakes up like that because someone is repeatedly using the Cruciatus Curse on him to the point where blood is seeping out of his ears, I might actually help the one doing the cursing! Because that kind of punishment wouldn't even make up for a fraction of what he put Remus through! Not a fraction!" Sirius made a strangled sound and collapsed onto the bed, his head in his hands. Annabeth wasn't sure how to handle this. She had been prepared to slice Sirius to pieces with her sharp tongue but now realized how much the man must have went through to have even let Fenrir walk by him unharmed. She tentatively went to sit next to him and patted his back gently. Sirius made a kind of laughing sound and smiled through the sheet of tears. "Look at me." He said. "Losing my mind and then breaking down in front of a girl."

"I'm a woman, Sirius." She answered. "And you are most certainly not the first man I've seen cry." She returned his smile. "Old, remember?" He barked a laugh and they say there together for a moment. She waited for Sirius to dry his tears before she said, "I'm sorry. Truly. About Remus I mean. I feel...responsible for it." Sirius looked alarmed.

"No, that's not what I meant by this!" He said, shaking his head. "It's not your fault!" She smiled but could feel a prickling behind her eyes.

"That's very kind, Sirius but you don't know the whole story." She thought for a moment. "Actually," she said. "Maybe you should know. Perhaps it will help you forgive Fenrir." He glared at her. "Oh, okay!" She said quickly. "Not forgive, but maybe understand?" He signed and rubbed his temples before finally muttering,

"Fine."

"Really?"

"I'll listen." He said. "But that's all I'm promising."

/

Fenrir quickly found the basement kitchen and entered. He was the only one inside except for a disgruntled looking house elf. He seemed to be crazy, muttering to himself. "Whatever would Mistress say, all of these blood traitors and half-breeds in her precious home? Oh, what a disgrace to the House of Black!"

"Black?" Fenrir asked curiously. "Is this Orion and Cygnus's house?" He had already made the assumption that Sirius was one of the brother's son but he had not yet deduced that they may actually be inside the house in which his tormentors had resided. The house elf looked up at his voice but resumed his talking to himself loudly, as though Fenrir couldn't hear him. Perhaps he wasn't supposed to, he had to remind himself. He still wasn't used to the more acute hearing. Fenrir himself had never had a house elf but the ones at Hogwarts had always done things for him when he asked in the kitchens. So he addressed the elf.

"Do you cook?" He asked. Haven't had eaten anything in a while now, he could practically feel the stomach lining eating itself. The house elf's eyes widened.

"Oh, the half-breed speaks to Kreacher with his filthy tongue! Oh, if only Mistress could be here to curse the vile from her home!" Fenrir was shocked. Half-breed? It took a moment for him to register that the elf, Kreacher, was calling him a half-breed which he had to remember that was his blood status now. But he had at first taken the insult to be about Annie. It always infuriated him whenever anyone insulted Annie.

"Hey, don't talk like that!" He said. "You're the disgrace!" He had seen some house elf heads hanging on the wall as he came down and had the sudden urge to do the same to Kreacher. Kreacher glared at Fenrir before disappearing with a loud pop. Fenrir growled slightly under his breath, and pulled out a chair. He sat down at the table, wishing silently that he knew how to cook. Just then, he heard voices. They were far off and the speakers were being quiet but he heard them clear as day.

"I just keep remembering what he did to you. It breaks me every time."

"Don't blame yourself, Dad. And don't blame the boy either, blame the man."

"What's the difference?" The other voice grumbled.

"The boy hasn't done it yet. He's innocent until proven guilty."

"He has done it already though! They're the same person! Time hasn't changed just because of what happened in the Ministry!"

"Well, though he technically did do it, his mind hasn't yet. He doesn't remember anything from what he's done." The voice paused. "And don't tell him either, we have no idea how he'll react." The second voice scoffed.

"Of course I wouldn't tell him, who's the parent again-" Lyall stopped mid sentence as he and Remus entered the kitchen. Fenrir jumped about a mile. He hasn't noticed the voices getting closer, as he had been so warped up in what they were saying. It sounded as though he did something in the future. Something bad. He tried to pretend that he hadn't heard a word, though he was shaking on the inside.

"Got any food?" He asked. Both men had looked pale but when his expression looked as though they hadn't been overheard, they shared a breath of relief. Lyall collapsed into a chair a good distance away from Fenrir, the latter noticed, whilst Remus went to preparing breakfast. Just then Annie and Sirius came into the kitchen. Sirius looked to Remus.

"Don't trouble yourself with that, Moony!" He said, aghast. "KREACHER!" He yelled and another pop resounded as the house elf appeared once again. Kreacher grumbled slightly at being forced from wherever he had been before but he still immediately broke into a deep bow.

"Master Sirius, how may Kreacher serve?" He asked, while his nose pointed into the floor. Then he mumbled, "Kreacher is being forced to serve the wretched blood traitor whom Mistress always despised. If only Kreacher's head could hang on the wall now beside his family." Fenrir thought he might be sick at that last comment but apparently it seemed that that was normal talk from him as there was barely reaction from the rest of the group.

"Make breakfast for us all." Sirius said, gesturing to himself and everyone else in the kitchen.

"Yes Master." Kreacher said and got to work though he muttered to himself quite a bit. Sirius and Remus took seats near Lyall but Annie came down to his end of the long table. She looked as though she were about to start conversation but Fenrir was more curious about something else. Though he couldn't lead on that he had heard Lyall and Remus talking. So he asked instead,

"What am I like in the future? I mean now?" It did not get a particularly joyful reaction. Everyone fell silent. Even Annie's mouth dropped open. Remus recovered from the shock first albeit barely.

"You want to know...what you're like?" He asked.

"Yes, in the future. What am I like as an adult?" Fenrir was getting agitated by now. The question wasn't that hard! It seemed everyone around the table knew something that he didn't. And they were being very careful about keeping it from him. Sirius coughed.

"You...well, you're..." Fenrir leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He was getting impatient now.

"Am I a good guy or a bad guy?" He asked. "Do I have a good job or a bad job? Am I married or not? Is this that difficult to answer?" Annie laughed suddenly into her hand. Fenrir glared at her. "What?" He asked. "It's not funny!"

"Oh, Fen." When she laughed her green eyes sparkled. They were the only part of her that still looked to be the third year girl. "I forget you're only twelve. You separate the world into only two categories." Fenrir was confused.

"There are more than two?" He asked. At this, everyone laughed. Even Lyall, who seemed so tense around him, chuckled slightly. Annie reached over the table and patted his hand.

"Way more than two." She said. "And I think you and I have just about crossed all of them. I'll try to explain this more to you some other time but right now I think it's important that these very hospitable men understand you a little more than what they have heard."

"What have they heard?" Fenrir asked curiously but Annie ignored the question. Instead, as Kreacher began serving food to the table, she said,

"There is nothing you have to worry about. And after we finish eating, we will tell them everything about our childhood together. And then perhaps I'll tell the parts you cannot." She said the last part quietly but he still heard. And despite the excitement he felt at maybe getting answers from Annie, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was one secret the others all knew about him. And they weren't planning on telling him anytime soon.

A/N: Yeah, I know, no Remus, Sirius, Lyall point of view. I meant to and then I thought this was better. But I'll make sure to get their point of view next chapter. I beg upon my hands and knees for reviews! They are the fuel I work on for more chapters!


	7. Screams

A/N: Finally! Greyback's past! Were you waiting for this one? Because I was. By the way, I recently wrote a one-shot about Lily and Severus so if you're interested in that then you should check it out on my profile. Okay, here we go!

Chapter 7: Screams

After everyone had had a sufficient amount of breakfast, Sirius pushed back his plate, propped his chair on two legs, and leaned back, his feet on the table. He looked to the boy who also had pushed his plate back. "Alright." He said. "I said that I would listen to your story and I'm ready. So speak." Remus and Lyall leaned forward as well, no doubt eager to hear what he had to say. Sirius however was not. He was well prepared for the ridiculous story that Greyback would spin to show him in the best light. He thought of how much Remus suffered throughout life and so couldn't possibly take pity upon him. Annabeth however he did trust though it was tentative. Anyone who had spent so much time with such a servant to the Dark shouldn't be trusted in his opinion. Until of course he remembered the seven years of sharing a dorm with Peter Pettigrew and then looking at any corner of the house he grew up in. He looked down the table and Annabeth looked to Greyback.

"You start." She said.

"Start where I met you?" He asked.

"Start at the beginning, I like stories that start there." She said a bit sarcastically. Greyback smiled a little at her and folded his hands on the table. He glanced in their direction before glancing down to his feet and began speaking. His voice was soft and timid, but the kitchen had gone so silent that everything he said reverberated off the walls.

"I'm not a pureblood." He said. "And that's never really bothered me. But it bothered my parents. They were always blaming some distant relative here or there for contaminating our blood. But if you ask me, we were never purebloods to begin with. Greyback doesn't even sound like a wizard's surname, does it? I think my parents just wanted to be one of the old families like the Malfoys or the Lestranges. Or the Blacks. I think my parents would do anything to be apart of the Blacks. They might've sold me off somewhere just to carry that surname. They didn't like me much. I'm not really sure why they had me in the first place, actually. Maybe they needed to yell at something, hit something, I don't know. Anyways, I was raised in a big house in the outskirts of these woods. And the house had lots of nooks and crannies that I would find and crawl into. It was easy for me to hide from them, they never looked hard enough once I was gone. Well, I guess my beginning would be when I was around six. And I was sitting in the parlour..."

Fenrir sat in the middle of the parlour room floor. He was drawing a picture of his family. His mother was holding the cane for when he was bad and his father was holding his wand for when he was drunk. That is to say that his father was drunk, not Fenrir. Fenrir loved his Dad, if course he did, but no one could deny that he frequently would visit the Muggle ale house and would even more frequently perform curses while it was in his system. Fenrir had also put himself into the picture. He was a little ways away from them. He had drawn himself taller than he actually was because he wanted his picture to be in the future, when he towered over his parents and they cowered in his shadow, not the other way around. He was also holding a wand and it had lightning bolts shooting out of it up into the sky. He was just trying to decide if when he was older he would have a beard or not, when his father came in. "Son." He slurred. Fenrir flinched. It was never good for him when his father's speech was slurred. "Relax boy. Now come with me, I want to teach you a lesson." Fenrir stood on shaky legs. It was also never good when his father wanted to "teach him a lesson". His father came over and put a hand on his back, edging him out to the patio and outside. He closed the door silently. "Now boy." He said. "Look straight ahead of you. What do you see?"

"The woods." Fenrir answered slowly. Was this there plan? Were they going to leave him out there? He hastily thought back to see if he had done anything to warrant such a punishment.

"That's right, son." He said. "And do you know what lives there?" Fenrir thought for a moment. The forest looked scary so it only made sense that something scary lived there.

"Bears?" He asked.

"Well, yes. But I was thinking something else. Something from our world."

"Dragons?" Fenrir asked. His father was getting impatient now.

"No, those are from Romania! Here's a hint! Look!" He grasped Fenrir by his hair and pulled his head back harshly so that he was staring at the night sky and right in front of him now was the moon, bright and full. He knew this answer might warrant him a beating at the state his father was in but he couldn't help himself.

"I don't get it." His father breathed out anger and slowly released his hold on Fenrir's head.

"Whoever has been educating you, son? You must know this! Alright, so you know what werewolves are, right?" Fenrir nodded.

"Good! Well, they live in these woods, son. And guess what? Tomorrow morning I'm gonna take you out and teach you how to kill 'em!" Fenrir very much doubted that. His father would most likely be hungover by morning. Still he nodded along.

"Okay Papa." He said and went back inside to his picture. And that was when he heard it. The bloodcurdling, animalistic scream coming from the throat of what sounded like a demon. Fenrir felt shivers up his spine. "W-what was that?" He asked his father who had come in behind him.

"That, my boy, was a werewolf. Evil creatures. Just you wait. We'll have one on our wall soon enough." Fenrir didn't think that the creature that made that sound was evil. He thought it was in pain. And he wanted to help it. How could anything suffer that much? He knew better than to ask. As the months went by, Fenrir stopped sleeping on the night of the full moon. He couldn't, when he would hear those screams, those terror and agony filled, heart-wrenching screams. And one morning, when his father was finally sober, he came early into his room, clapped his hands together and said, "Well boy, today's the day! I'm gonna teach you to kill a werewolf!" And Fenrir felt himself then want to scream.

A/N: Part two of Fenrir's before-Hogwarts childhood will commence in the following chapter. Now, as you have probably noticed, this story is taking a darker turn than I first expected. So I am thinking of changing the rating but I want your opinions first. Just post your opinion in a review or send me a PM, whichever is easier. And darker stuff is on the way so please tell me if T or M would be more acceptable, I'm really new at this. Thank you! :)


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